1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to self-supporting, free-standing display packages for displaying a product. More particularly, the invention relates to a package formed from a single paperboard blank having a plurality of panels adapted to be bent along connecting fold lines to form a vertically free-standing structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous packaging concepts are known in the prior art for displaying a variety of products in many different ways. The choice of packaging concept depends greatly upon the ultimate effect which is desired to be presented to the consumer.
This invention relates to those types of situations and produots where it is desired to present products to the consumer in a plurality of independent packages each free-standing vertically on a horizontal support surface. The package produced in accordance with this invention is particularly suited to encasing the product in a transparent blister package to make it visible to the consumer Examples of paperboard panels used to display products encased in a blister package are shown U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,970 (Sellors) and 4,549,654 (Tiesman). Each of these display packages, however, requires two layers of paperboard between which the blister package is secured. This results in a package which permits the product to be displayed from either side but which is unnecessarily costly for certain products where display is only needed on one side of the package.
Another vertical display package is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,649 (Diehl). While this patent discloses a package construction enabling a preformed transparent pocket to be extending to one side of the package, this package construction also requires two layers of paperboard. Additionally, this package construction requires a relatively wide base extending to the front and back of the central panel. This construction occupies an excessive amount of shelf space thereby limiting the number of products that may be simultaneously displayed in a given area.
A stand up blister package shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,244 (Middleton, Jr. et al) utilizes a front blister package secured to a paperboard backing and achieves the stand up feature by bending the bottom portion of the blister package and paperboard to create a horizontal surface which cooperates with the bottom of the blister pocket to support the package. This construction also utilizes an excessive amount of shelf space.
In some blister packages which are vertically supported by a bent foot portion of the blister material, manufacturing tolerances result in final packages which do not consistently stand vertically. The positioning of the blister material on the paperboard backing may deviate within the manufacturing tolerances so that when the foot portion is bent, it is not always bent in the same position relative to the paperboard back. Some final packages will therefore lean forward or backward. This results in an uneven and unaesthetic display for the consumer. It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a blister package which may be consistently produced to stand vertically.
It is another object of this invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of the prior art by providing a self-supporting display package for displaying a product encased in a blister package in a vertical orientation.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a self-supporting display package for displaying a product in a vertical orientation while occupying a minimum amount of shelf space.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a single paperboard panel which may be folded in a predetermined manner to produce a vertically free-standing paperboard panel to one side of which a product may be secured.